Dalmatian Stone
Other Silicates & Gemstones
Dalmatian stone is a trade-named peralkaline rock rather than jasper. Its pale matrix is mainly feldspar and quartz, while scattered arfvedsonite, an alkali amphibole, produces the dark spots; minor hematite, goethite, and epidote may also occur.
Identity
- Material or variety
- Dalmatian stone (mixed igneous rock)
- Scientific or material identity
- Dalmatian stone (mixed igneous rock)
- Classification
- Rock or mixed mineral material
- Aliases or trade names
- Dalmatian jasper
- Composition or formula
- Feldspar and quartz with dark amphibole-group minerals
- Crystal system or structure
- Aggregate or composite structure
- Geological or manufacturing origin
- Forms in igneous rock or volcanic material.
- Mohs hardness
- 6 to 7
Origins
Mexico
Appearance & optical properties
cream-beige stone with irregular black spots.
History & discovery
The commercial name compares the rock's contrasting spots with a Dalmatian dog's coat. A 2017 gemological study used microscopy, spectroscopy, and chemical analysis to classify the material as a peralkaline rock and recommended “Dalmatian stone” because it does not meet the gemological definition of jasper.
Uses & care
- Common uses
- The rock takes a polish and is fashioned into beads, pendants, bracelets, cabochons, and other small decorative objects that emphasize its spotted pattern.
Jewellery
5 pieces of Dalmatian Stone jewellery. Learners earn each one in DigMyGem by learning words; until then it shows as a silhouette.
Dappled Collar
Necklace
A collar of pale dalmatian-stone beads speckled with black, so the whole strand seems spotted like a pony's coat. The stone is a feldspar-and-quartz rock, not a mineral.
Speckled Ring
Ring
A silver ring set with an oval of dalmatian stone, its cream ground dotted with dark needles. The spots sit in the stone like ink.
The Spotted Sceptre
Sceptre
A ceremonial wand tipped with a polished dalmatian-stone orb, the black spots said to hold the luck of a painted pony. No royal house has ever held it.
Spotted Drop Earrings
Earrings
An imagined pair of earrings with round drops of Dalmatian stone, creamy white and spotted with black like the dog it is named after.
Royal Hound Brooch
Brooch
An imagined brooch of a seated hound carved from Dalmatian stone, with a jewelled gold collar.